Packing to the brim

When COVID-19 hit, life became all about the little things. At Christ Church of Longboat Key, those "little things" have been tiny Ziploc bags of seeds, of which they've packed 100,000 since the pandemic began.

Every Monday, a group of volunteers has packed seeds for Hope Seeds, a nonprofit ministry that sends seeds across the world to alleviate hunger and provide longterm solutions.

Christ Church is one of the organization's most prolific volunteer hubs and has packed over 150,000 packets of seeds in their entire partnership with Hope Seeds. They're also one of the only volunteer hubs to still be operating during the pandemic and have been so successful that organizers David and Maxine Balsbaugh have sent out their model to other churches as a guideline on keeping safe.